By the time I made it back to Bangkok, I had missed my flight to Macau by a few days and it was late in the evening on the 23rd. The next morning I managed to book a flight, and a few hours later I was in Hong Kong airport where my cousin Andy had just arrived from London. First stop after checking into the Kowloon Hotel, a trip up to Victoria Peak to check out the view of Hong Kong by night

What we were not aware of was that in Hong Kong, Christmas Eve is celebrated like New Year’s Eve. Lan Kwai Fong, a major nightlife district just down below us in the picture, was completely shut down to traffic for a huge street party to ring in Christmas. As midnight approached, the place was heaving with energy. It really was unbelievable compared to the normal relaxing Christmas Eve dinner we usually have in Florida. The celebrations went on into the wee hours, and by the time everybody started to make their way home, the sunshine of Christmas Day was already upon us.

After a good sleep and a leisurely Christmas Dinner, we went to work planning our next stop – Saigon.